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Economic impact of Southeastern football playoff games estimated at more than $835,000
on Tangipahoa Parish

HAMMOND – The two post-season NCAA football playoff games held in Hammond in December 2013
and hosted by the Southland Conference championship team at Southeastern Louisiana
University had an estimated total economic impact of more than $835,000 on Tangipahoa
Parish, according to a study released Thursday (Feb. 27).

Conducted by the Southeastern Business Research Center with assistance by the Tangipahoa
Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, results of the study, which looked exclusively
at outside spending by visiting teams and fans, were announced at the Hammond Chamber
of Commerce's general meeting.

"The Lions being in the NCAA playoffs provided an unexpected economic boost to to
our local tourist industry at a great time for our local businesses," Tate said.

After winning the Southland Conference Championship by defeating all seven conference
opponents and recording a 10-2 regular season record, the Lions earned a bye in the
first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. They won their first
playoff game against Sam Houston State University (SHSU) on Dec. 7, and advanced to
the quarter-finals, losing to the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Dec. 14. The two
games held in Southeastern's Strawberry Stadium, attracted between 5,000 and 6,000
fans each.

The analysis used the input-output method commonly employed to estimate economic impacts,
according to Business Research Center economist Herb Holloway. The method is based
on economic linkages between various sectors and industries, which cause every dollar
of expenditures to "ripple through" the local economy. This results in every dollar
of expenditure being multiplied to various degrees, causing a larger economic effect
than the original amount of the expenditure.

To help ensure accuracy in the study, the Business Research Center estimated only
"new" money coming into the parish from visitors – classified as either "day-trippers"
or "overnight visitors" – and did not include money spent by local and area residents,
assuming that money would be spent locally whether the events occurred or not. Overnight
visitors typically tend to spend substantially more money in the local economy than
day-trippers. Since no survey of attendees was conducted to collect spending estimates
from visitors, data from other college football economic studies were used in making
impact calculations.

Day-trippers, who were assumed to be all ticket purchasers from Mississippi and Louisiana,
excluding Tangipahoa Parish, were estimated at 3,122 for both games combined, while
overnight visitors (ticket buyers from all states other than LA and MS) were estimated
at 1,041 for both games combined. Day trippers were estimated to spend approximately
$106 in Tangipahoa Parish, including the price of their ticket, while overnight visitors
were estimated to spend $257 locally per game.

The visiting teams brought an estimated 4,163 fans and 200 athletes and support personnel
from outside Tangipahoa Parish. These fans and visiting teams spent an estimated $645,723
within the parish while attending the games, generating approximately 404 hotel room
nights for the SHSU game and 175 for the UNH game, according to counts provided by
the Tangipahoa Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The estimated spending by all visitors for the Sam Houston game totaled approximately
$363,000, with the largest amount – about 45 percent or $163,853 – in the eating and
drinking category.

For the UNH game, the estimated total spending was $282,704. Again, the largest category
of spending was eating and drinking at approximately $130,164.

"It is remarkable to see the alumni and community that have become engaged as a result
of our winning football team," said Neal of the Alumni Association. "We saw individuals
who traveled despite the inclement weather and sat in the stands in the cold, rainy
mist to cheer on the Lions. Their love for Southeastern really showed through when
you saw them wearing green and gold, not just in the stands, but in the parish schools
and in businesses. The success of Southeastern has a domino effect; as Southeastern
succeeds so do the surrounding communities."

"We're fortunate to have a loyal and enthusiastic fan base supporting the Lion football
program," Artigues said. "We were privileged to provide the Lion Nation with a historic
season and an entertaining playoff run. The Lions don't just belong to Southeastern,
but to the whole region, so we're grateful our success on the field was beneficial
to the area's economy."